Secure your NetLink ID
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Considerations |
Choose a secure passphrase
When you create a NetLink ID or change your NetLink ID passphrase, you will be forced to choose a secure passphrase. There are many rules for creating a secure passphrase; for a full list of rules, visit netlink.uvic.ca.
Enroll in UVicMFA
Many of UVic's online systems require multi-factor authentication to access them. Multi-factor authentication secures your account by requiring a second factor to login. One factor is your passphrase, and the second factor is something you have, such as the Duo Mobile app on your phone. Visit uvic.ca/mfa to enroll in UVicMFA.
Never share your passphrase
Your NetLink ID is your personal identification at UVic. It is used to authenticate to secure university resources, such as campus computers, email, My page, and the VPN client. It is extremely important that you do not share your NetLink ID passphrase with anyone—not friends, family, peers, or UVic personnel (not even the Computer Help Desk). Sharing your passphrase puts your NetLink ID and its associated services at risk of being compromised.
Beware of email scams
Phishing is a common online scam designed to trick you into revealing sensitive personal information (e.g. passphrases, credit card numbers, your SIN) that is then used for fraud or identity theft. Phishing typically takes the form of an email message that appears to come from a trusted organization (e.g. your bank, the university), but is actually from the identity thieves. It is intentionally difficult to tell the difference between a legitimate message and a phishing message.
Do not send sensitive information—such as passphrases, credit card numbers, birth dates, Social Insurance Numbers, etc.—through email. For more information about phishing scams and how to protect yourself from fraudulent emails, visit our phishing awareness training page.
Beware of fraudulent websites
Beware of links in emails, especially when the page you land on asks for sensitive information (i.e. your NetLink and passphrase). Even if the website looks like a UVic page, always double check the URL (website address). Is it the page that you expected to be directed to? Does it contain the uvic.ca domain? Never enter your personal information into a page that has a suspicious website address. If in doubt, contact the Computer Help Desk.
Remembering your passphrase
If you use multiple different passphrases to access different electronic resources, you may find it difficult to manage all of this information. University Systems recommends the use of KeePass XC to securely store these passphrases. KeePass XC allows you to enter your username/passphrase combination required to access different resources and stores these in an encrypted, passphrase protected file that you can store in a secure location such as a UVic file share or your M365 OneDrive. You can access the passphrases when needed using the KeePass XC application from your computer or mobile device.
KeePass XC uses the same password safe database format (KBDX) as the older KeePass application. If you previously used KeePass, this database will work with KeePass XC as well.
KeePass XC is available for a variety of devices including Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, and iPads and as a browser plugin. KeePass XC also provides a guide on configuring and using the program. Please ensure that you keep your master passphrase safely memorized. If you lose this passphrase, your KeePass XC database will be inaccessible. If you share this passphrase with another person, they will have access to your passphrases.
This eliminates the need to record or write passphrases on paper or other physical object that can be lost or stolen.
To further prevent access to this secure passphrase storage, ensure that only authorized users can access your computer or mobile device by protecting it with a username and passphrase or a passcode. Ensure that your laptop is set to lock after 15 minutes of inactivity and prompt for a username and passphrase to unlock. This will reduce the risk of an unauthorized user from easily accessing your laptop and having an opportunity to access KeePass XC.
Forgotten NetLink passphrase
If you have forgotten your NetLink passphrase, you will need to contact the Computer Help Desk to reset your passphrase. For security reasons, the staff there will need to see a valid piece of photo ID before performing a passphrase reset. Alternatively, students can reset their passphrases using our online tool.